Fiber-cleaning machine.



No. 887,891. PATBNTED MAY 19, 1908. H. L. VAUGHAN.

FIBER GLEMIINGv MACHINE.

T APPLICA ION FILED N`0V 22.1907 4 SHEETS-SHEET 1' THE Nakms PETERS co wAsHlNsrcN, DA c.

No'. 887,891. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

H. L. VAUGHAN.

FIBER CLEANING MACHINE.

- 2.1 APPLICATION FILEDv NOV 2 907 4 SHEETS-SHEET D" Wi h1 gnou.:

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N0. 887,891. PATLNTLD MAY 18, 1908. H. L. VAUGNNN.

P1888 CLEANING MACHINE.'

APPLICATION FILED N .22.1907.

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@vih/lances NoRRls Fm-Rs Nuo. 887,891. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

' H. L. VAUGHAN.

FIBER CLEANING MACH-INE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.22. 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIOE.

HENRY LATROBE VAUGHAN, OF EL PASO, TEXAS, ASSIGNOE OE ONE-HALE To AUBREY EDDIE, or EL PASO, TEXAS.

FIBER-CLEANING MACHINE.

specification of Letters Patent Patented Mey 19, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that 1, HENRY LATROBE VAUGHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at El Paso, in the county of El Paso and-State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fiber- Cleaning Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to that class of fiber cleaning machines employed in removing the pulp from the long iiber of tropical or semi-tropical plants, such as for example the Lechugutlla, Hemgtten, lVIaguey and others, the object of the invention being to simplify the construction of these machines and to improve their general efficiency.

The nature of the improvements whereby I accomplish the foregoing Objects will be more readily understood from the following description in which reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein z- Figure 1, is a side elevation of one form of fiber cleaning machine embodying my said invention, Fig. 2, a top plan view of said machine; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional elevation of said machine, the section being taken along the line 33 Fig. 1, looking to the right; Fig. 4, a fragmentary detail'sectional elevation of the fiber shifting mechanism; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the fiber shifting wheel, and Fig. 6, an enlarged detail perspective view of one of the scutching blades.

In the accompanying drawings 1, 2 and 3 represent three superposed liber gripping and carrying chains, the chain 2 being located between the chains 1 and 3 and cooperating with chain 1 to grip the material being worked upon and carry it past a scutching wheel 4, and cooperating with the chain 3 to grip the said material and carry it past a second scutching wheel 5, the said material being shifted laterally in transit from chain 1 to chain 3 by means of a slanting wheel 6 cooperating with a shield 7.

Each link of the three chains 1, 2 and 3 is Agrooved longitudinally as shown in section in Fig. 3, in order to firmly grip and hold the material being worked.

The chain 1 is mounted on sprockets 8 and 9; the chain 2, on sprockets 10 and 11, and the chain 3, on sprockets 12 and 13. The sprockets 9, 11 and 13 are made fast respectively on three shafts 14, 15 and 16 mounted in suitable bearings on one of the end frames 17 of the machine. These shafts carry at their opposite ends from the said sprocket wheels three bevel gears 18, 19 and 20, respectively, which intermesh with three bevel gears 21, 22 and 23 made fast on a vertical shaft 24 from which the shafts 14, 15 and 16 receive driving power. The shaft 24 may receive its power from a shaft 25 which is journaled in a bracket 26 on the machine frame 17. The shaft 25 carries a bevel gear 27 which meshes with a bevel gear 28 fast on the shaft 24. Power may be transmitted to shaft 25 by means of a pulley 29 thereon connected by belt 30 with a pulley 31 on the shaft 32 of scutching wheel 4.

Instead of transmitting power to the shafts 14, 15 and 16 as above described I may transmit power to the sprocket of said wheel shafts independently of the scutching wheels by mounting a pulley 33 on shaft 16, and disconnecting the belt 30. Or if desired the gearing between scutching wheel shaft 32 and the shaft 24 may be left intact and power transmitted to the scutching wheels from pulley 33 through said gearing.

The sprocket wheels 8, 1() and 12 are mounted respectively on three short shafts 34, 35 and 36 journaled on the side frame 37 of the machine as shown.

The scutching wheels 4 and 5 are mounted fast on two shafts 32 and 38 respectively, extending across the machine and journaled in the side frames 17 and 37. These shafts should be driven in opposite directions, and as a means for accomplishing this I have shown a crossed belt 39 passing over pulleys 40 and 41 mounted respectively on said shafts. When pulley 33 is not connected to drive said scutching wheels, either of said shafts 32 or 38 may be connected to a source of driving power. In the accompanying drawings I have shown the shaft 38 provided with a pulley 42 for driving the machine. I

refer to apply the driving power at the puln ey 42, though I do not limit my invention t this particular arrangement.

The scutching wheels consist each of a` drum 43 mounted upon spiders 44 made fast to the shafts 32 and 38, and upon the periphery of these drums are mounted a series of scutching blades 45 properly spaced around the drum and held fast thereon by means of brackets 46 or in any other suitable way,` the said blades extending in a slanting direction across said drums in such a manner that .one

end of a blade will strike the incoming material first, an arrangement well known in this class of machines. T he blades 45, however, are of peculiar construction in that the striking edges of the blades are serrated as at 47 the said serrations extending from the end of the blade a short distance inward therefrom, the portion of the blade carrying said serrations slanting' from the end of the blade as shown more clearly in Fig. 6. These serrations first strikingI the pulpy material tear it asunder and thus prepare it for more effective cleaning by the smooth portion of the blades.

At the opposite side of each scutching wheel from the serrated portions ofthe blades I locate short brushes 48 placing these bem tween alternate pairs of scutchingI blades. These brushes act to more thoroughly cleanse the fiber as it is about to emerge from the scutchingl wheels.

The chains 1 and 2 are held together in front of the scutching wheel 4 by means of two sets of rollers 49 and 50 journaled in extensions 51 and 52 respectively on brackets 53 and 54, made fast to the machine frame, the extensions 51 and 52 extending a short distance over the sides of the chains and thus acting as a guide to prevent sidewise movement of the chains. By a similar arrangement of rollers 55, 56 and guide brackets 57, 58, the chains 2 and 3 are held together and prevented from side slipping in front of scutching wheel 5.

vThe blades of the scutching wheels 4 and 5 beat the liber against curved metal shields 59 and 60 respectively, the shields being of substantially the same width as the scutching wheels. The shields 59 and 60 are su ported by two brackets 61 and 62, respective held by means of bolts against rubber 63 inserted between the said brackets and the machine frame. This rubber permits the shield to yield under pressure away from the scutching wheels and to return to normal when the pressure is released.

means of the slanting wheel 6, in coperation with the shield 7. This wheel 6 is mounted for rotation upon a slanting spindle 64 made fast in a bracket 65 secured to the machine frame 17, and is provided on one face with gear teeth 66, which mesh with gear teeth 67 on the face of the sprocket wheel l1. See Fig. 4. The shield 7 is bolted or otherwise made fast to the bracket 65 and extends around and in close proximity to the other periphery of the wheel 6 and is broad enough to inclose or extend around the chain 2 where it passes around the sprocket 11. The wheel 6 is provided with serrations or teeth 68 on its periphery to grip the material being worked.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The fibrous vegetable matter is fed side-wise into the chains at the point indicated by the upper curved arrow in Fig. 1. In Fig. 2, I have indicated a piece of the fibrous material 69 just after passing into the chains. This material is gripped between chains 1 and 2 and carried by them in front of and past scutching wheel 4. When in front of said wheel the portion of the fibrous material 69 on the left of the chain 1 in Fig. 2, (looking towards the top of the sheet) will be beaten by the successive blades of the wheel 4, the toothed portions of said blades iirst striking the material and tearing it into shreds, and as the material proceeds along in front of the wheel 4 the smooth portions of the blades next alone strike it, and after thatit will be alternately struck by the blades and the brushes after which it passes from in front of the scutching wheel 4. By this time the portion of the material on the left of the chains in Fig. 2, will be stripped of pulp, leaving the iiber clean. Then as the material passes out from under the chain 1, it is caught between the roughened periphery of the slanting wheel 6 and the shield 7, and by means of the said wheel is carried around to the point where the chains 2 and 3 come together where it is then gripped between these chains and carried along to the scutching wheel 5.

'In the transfer from chains 1 and 2 to chains 2 and 3, the slanting wheel 6 shifts the material 69 laterally to such an extent that when the said material reaches the point where it is gripped between the chains 2 and 3 the unstripped end or portionv of the material will be projected out from the chains in the path of the scutching wheel 5 while the portion already stripped or cleaned will be held between the chains 2 and 3. In this position the material is carried along by the chains 2 and 3 in front of the scutching wheel 5 where the uncleaned portion will be stripped or cleansed as described with reference to wheel 4. The material will then'be thoroughly cleaned throughout its length after it passes out of the chains at the point indicated by the lower curved arrow in Fig. 1.

Without confining my invention to the speciiic constructional details herein shown and described, what I claim as my invention is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a scutching wheel, two endless chains between which the fiber is adapted to be gripped and carried past said scutching wheel, a second scutching wheel, a third endless chain located on the opposite side of one of said two chains from the other of said chains and coperating with the intermediate chain to grip the fiber and carry the same past the second scutching wheel, a slanting wheel and shield cooperating therewith to transfer the fiber from one pair of said chains to the other after the same has been worked by the first scutching wheel,

while in transit from one pair of said chains to the other.

2. In a machine of the character described, an intermediate carrier chain, andv two adjacent carrier chains located on'opposite sides of said intermediate chain, all of said chains lying and moving in a common vertical plane; scutching wheels located on opposite sides of said chains from each other and adapted to rotate in a common vertical plane perpendicular to that in which said chains travel, the said intermediate chain and one of the outside chains coperating to grip therebetween the fibrous material and carry it past one of said scutching wheels, and the intermediate chain and the other of said outside chains coperating to grip therebetween the said fibrous material and carry the same past the second scutching wheel; a fiber-shifting and transporting wheel having a periphery rotatable in a plane slanting with respect to the vertical plane in which `the said chains travel, said periphery adapted to engage the iiber as it emerges from one pair of said chains and to shift the same transversely of said chains in transit from one pair of said chains to the other; a shield cooperating with said fiber-shifting wheel to transport said fiber 'from one of said pairs of chains to the other; and means to impart vtravel to said chains and rotation to said scutching wheels and Afiber-shifting wheels.

3. In a machine of the character described, an intermediate carrier chain, and two adjacent carrier chains located on opposite sides of said intermediate chain, all of said chains lying and moving in a common vertical plane; scutching wheels located on opposite sides of said chains from each other and adaptedto rotate in a common vertical plane perpendicular to that in which said chains travel, said scutching wheels being provided with scutching blades having a slanting serrated working edge adapted to engage the fibrous material during the first portion of its travel past said Wheels and a plain working edge adapted to engage said material after the same has been worked by the serrated portion of the blade, and provided also with radial brushes of shorter length across the wheel than said blades and located between alternate pairs of said blades; the said intermediate chain and one of the outside chains coperating to grip therebetween the iibrous material and carry it past one off said scutching wheels, and the intermediate chain and the other of said outside chains coperating to grip the said fibrous material and carry the same past the second scutching wheel; a ber-shifting and transporting wheel having a periphery rotatable in a plane slanting with respect to the vertical plane in which the said chains travel, said periphery adapted to engage the fiber as it emerges Jfrom one pair o? said chains and to shift the same transversely of said chains in transit from one pair of said.

chains to the other; a shield coperating with said fiber-shifting wheel to transport said fiber from one of said pairs of chains to the other; and means to impart travel to said chains and rotation to said scutching wheels and fiber-shifting wheels.

4. In a machine of the character described, a scutching wheel, means to grip the fibrous material and carry it past said wheel, said wheel being provided with a series of scutching blades each of which has a. slanting serrated working edge adjacent the end of the blade which 'first engages the iber, and a smooth working edge adapted to engage the fiber after the same has left the ath of the serrated portion, and radial brushes extending a shorter distance across said wheel than said blades and interposed between pairs of said blades on the op osite ol the center of the periphery of saidp wheel from the serrated portions of said blades.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY LATROBE VAUGHAN.

Witnesses:

WVM. W. CHADwIcK, CHARLES LOWELL HOWARD. 

